Family Moon
by loopgaroo
Summary: "It's called Genus Lunam," Derek began. "It means Family Moon. A moon like this will either bring us even closer together, or break us completely." He said gravely. A rare type of moon puts the pack in danger. Pack bonding, vague hints of Sterek.


"It's called 'genus lunam'," Derek said, looking round at the group of teenagers huddled around the hood of his car. "It means family moon."  
"So what?" Jackson butted in. "Why call a pack meeting? I don't have a proper family, why should I care?" he scowled.

Derek glared at him, his eyes flashing red. "Because pack is family, dumbass. Listen, this type of moon only happens every hundred years or so, but it's a pretty big deal." He looked around the pack intensely, making eye contact with each person. Stiles shivered when Derek's gaze met his. Seeing him this serious made Stiles' stomach all jittery, and not in the way it usually did when Derek was near him.

Isaac broke the silence, his eyes wide and fearful. "What does it mean?"

"It means," Derek continued, "that we need to stick together. Family moon isn't like other full moons. It causes excruciating pain for omegas, and if they're not careful they can die because of the heartache the moon makes them feel. And the same goes for a pack that isn't united. Tonight we stick together."

The group were silent, the usual banter and teasing extinguished by Derek's solemn speech. Everyone's eyes were on Derek, waiting for him to explain more. Everyone apart from Stiles. He kept his eyes glued to tarmac beneath his feet, trying to stop himself from feeling like his heart was being pulled from his chest. He knew what pack meant. Werewolves only.

He turned to leave, sighing internally. He would never ask to be turned, but now more than ever he wished he could be one of them.

"Where do you think you're going?" Derek demanded.

"To the cafeteria," Stiles replied shortly. "I'm not needed anymore. Pack only." The boy began to walk away, dragging his feet.

There was a loud thud as Derek's arm shot out and his hand hit the passenger door of his car, blocking Stiles from going any further. Derek let out a low growl. "What makes you think you're not pack?"

Stiles gestured towards his lean, pathetically defenceless torso. "Human." He explained abruptly, still not looking Derek in the eye.

"Don't be such an ass!" Lydia interrupted, pulling Stiles back by the collar of his shirt. "Of course you're pack."

Derek let go of the car, but his deep set scowl remained on his face. He continued with his speech.

"If any one of us isn't in the group tonight then they'll be in serious danger, along with the rest of the pack. You know how you can sense when each other are hurt?" He looked around the group, and all of the teenagers nodded.

"It's like that, but infinitely worse." Derek said. The group winced simultaneously.

"So if we just stay together all night we'll be fine?" Scott asked Derek.

"Yes."  
"Sounds like sleepover time!" Lydia cheered, lightening the mood. "I'll bring the popcorn, Jackson you bring the movies. But not High School Musical again, please!" Jackson blushed and looked at the ground, murmuring something about guilty pleasures. The group started to giggle, the seriousness of the previous conversation seeming to have blown over. Even Stiles was grinning, the feeling of welling tears having subsided.

"But," Derek interjected, wiping the smiles off their faces with the tone of his voice. "There will be side effects. The moon can also intensify any family feuds, and multiply emotions. It's rare, but can still happen."

"Don't be such a sourwolf! We'll be fine!" Lydia said brightly, as the bell signalling the end of lunch break rang out. "See you all later at Derek's for pizza and a Disney marathon, if Jackson gets his way!"

The group laughed and dispersed, heading inside for their various classes. Stiles sighed and started to make his way to English, his mind still telling him that he wasn't invited, that they only pitied him. He felt a firm hand wrap around his wrist, and he was pulled backwards until he was standing face to face with the Alpha. He looked furious, his jaw clenched and the edges of his green eyes tinted with red, his anger was so difficult to contain.

"Don't. Ever. Say. You're. Not. Pack." Derek growled at Stiles, their faces just inches apart. And just like that, Derek let go of Stiles' wrist, got in his car and pulled out of the parking lot so fast that Stiles was still left wondering what had just happened.

"Hey Stiles," Scott called back across the lot at him. "You coming?"

Stiles shook his head to clear it, decided he could overanalyse it another day, and jogged to meet his best friend.

Derek paced around his basement, his eyes bright red and his fists clenched. The pack would be round soon, and he was still trying to figure out why Stiles thought Derek hated him. It wasn't just that he'd assumed he wasn't pack - that was easy enough to figure out. Derek was more concerned by the genuine fear he smelt on Stiles every time he was around. Did Stiles not trust him? Did Stiles still think he was a murderer? Or responsible for the Hale family's death? Or for Scott getting bitten?

There were a million more options swimming around in Derek's head, and he was drowning in them. He yelled into the empty room and punched the wall, causing it to crack under the force of his fist. Just then he heard a car pull up in the drive of the newly renovated Hale house. Derek tried his best to wipe the frown from his face. He knew that if he didn't push this to the back of his mind soon the family moon would bring it out, and the confrontation wouldn't be pleasant. The sound of Stiles' voice approaching the house made his stomach lurch. Derek tried to push this thought down too. He didn't know why the younger boy made him feel so nervous all the time. It wasn't like he was into guys. Especially not ones who ask dumb questions all the freaking time and won't stop making snarky remarks.

By 6pm the whole pack had arrived at the Hale house, and had settled down in the living room. The summer sun had just begun to set and the teenagers were sprawled across the various sofas and armchairs around the room. Stiles, Erica and Allison occupied the 3 seat sofa, discussing the new Spiderman movie; Jackson was in a massive armchair, with Lydia sat on his knee, deep in discussion; Scott, Isaac and Boyd were flopped on beanbags on the carpet, laughing about how coach had cussed Greenberg in gym today. Derek walked into the room and leant on the doorframe, observing his pack. He smiled to himself.

"Hey Derek! Room for one more!" Erica called across the room and patted the space between her and Stiles. Stiles looked up at Derek nervously, still not entirely believing that he should be here. But to his surprise, the corners of Derek's mouth turned up into a smile and he made his way towards the sofa, climbing over Scott and Boyd, and made himself comfortable. It was a tight fit - all four of them on the sofa were pressed together, shoulder to shoulder, until Derek grabbed Stiles by the waist, picked him up and sat him on his knee, so that his legs were sprawled across Erica and Allison's laps. Stiles' eyebrows shot up so far they almost disappeared into his hairline, but Derek just chuckled, and silently congratulated himself on how well he'd managed to cover up his angsty emotions.

Lydia rose from her spot on Jackson's knee to load the DVD (not Disney for once, much to Jackson's annoyance), and turn the lights out. The room hushed as everyone focussed on the screen. Stiles tried very hard not to be conscious of the fact that he was lying on Derek-Freaking-Hale's lap. It felt comfortable, sure, almost natural, but that unnerved Stiles even more. Meanwhile, Derek also tried very hard not to be conscious of the fact that he had just pulled Stiles-Freaking-Stilinksi onto his lap. That was a bad idea. He couldn't concentrate on the movie at all. He was just subtly watching Stiles' face, grinning when he flinched at the gory bits. Derek tried to tell himself that it was okay for him to stare, because he was trying to figure out the peculiar younger boy, and understand why he felt so much more complete in his presence. He tried to ignore that he just liked looking at Stiles' pretty face. All too soon the end credits were rolling, and Lydia flicked the light switch back on again. Isaac and Jackson both sniffed and quickly tried to wipe the tears from their cheeks as if the rest of the pack hadn't already heard them blubbing at the ending.

Lydia glanced out the window at the full moon, which was now almost at its full height in the sky. "Derek," she breathed. Stiles felt Derek tense beneath him, and the pack turned to him.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see..."he said, worry wrinkling his brow.

"Who wants pizza?!" Scott asked brightly, trying to ease the tension that had suddenly filled the room. A series of woops and cheers from the other teenagers broke the silence, and Erica and Allison both got up to help. Stiles was suddenly very aware that he was left sitting on Derek's lap, just like Lydia was on Jackson's. Except that _they_ were dating. He and Derek were not. He tried not to think about that too much though, because Stiles was trying not to let himself think negatively tonight. He didn't know if the moon would affect him, because even if he _was_ pack, he wasn't a wolf. He didn't want to take any chances though, so he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and scooted off Derek's lap, mumbling some excuse about needing the toilet.

As he wandered past the kitchen he heard hushed giggles from Scott, Allison and Erica, and although his normal human hearing couldn't catch entirely what they were saying, he thought he heard Derek's name amongst the sniggering. Once again, he tried to ignore how the man's name made him blush, and his heart beat ever so slightly faster.

Stiles walked back downstairs, hurrying when he heard shouting from the living room.

"I saw you winking at that skank from Economics just yesterday, don't lie to me!" Lydia was shrieking at Jackson, pointing a painted fingernail at him accusingly.

"I'm not freaking seeing Rachel!" He yelled back. "I told you, she's a family friend!"

Lydia snorted and glared at him like she was ready to rip his throat out. Stiles took a few steps back out of the doorway. There was no way he wanted to be near Lydia in a rage like that, let alone when he was a fragile human and it was a full moon.

"Guys, please," Allison began. "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, can't we just talk it through in the morn-" She was cut off by Lydia hissing at her. Allison sat back down on the sofa, shocked. Had her best friend really just _hissed_ at her?!

"Stop." Said a low, authoritative voice. Derek flashed his eyes at the pair, and the two of them bowed their heads and sat down, ashamed, as though they'd suddenly realised what they were doing.

"Sorry Derek," they both said.

"Sorry Jackson," Lydia continued. "I don't know what came over me. I guess the moon is affecting me after all." She looked at him with big green eyes, pleading him to forgive her.

"That's alright," Jackson replied, pulling her back on to his lap and into his arms.

"Everyone needs to be on their guard now," Derek spoke up. "Obviously this pack is going to be affected tonight. A moon like this will either bring us even closer together, or break us completely." He said gravely.

A few hours later all bickering had stopped. Scott and Allison's small argument over who stole the covers more had been stopped before it escalated further, and Derek had successfully managed to bite back any remarks to Stiles about why he seemed to hate Derek. Now that all the rows had finished the pack sat silent, dreading the moment when the next one began.

Isaac shivered, feeling goosebumps run up his spine. He was left with a feeling of immense love for his pack mates. He felt a few tears well up in his eyes as he turned to Boyd, sat next to him, and threw his arms around him in a big bear hug. Everyone looked at the pair, and then at each other, confused at what had come over the boy. Boyd looked back at them, just as confused as they were. When Isaac eventually pulled away, he met the questioning eyes of everyone in the room.

"I... Well... I just love you guys so much!" He blurted out in an effort to explain himself.

"Ah," Derek said, suddenly understanding. "This is the other side effect. If the pack doesn't fight to the death, they end up being overcome by all sorts of fuzzy emotions and declare their undying love for the pack."

"Did you just say fuzzy?!" Stiles asked Derek, staring in disbelief. "That's so _not_ Derek!"

"Sorry," he said gruffly. "I guess I'm picking up words from you guys. But you know what I mean..." he trailed off, looking embarrassed. The pack laughed at their Alpha, and all began to shiver like Isaac had before. They were immediately taken over by warm, 'fuzzy' feelings, as Derek had said, and quickly formed a giant pack pile on the floor, with everyone hugging each other and giggling. Everyone apart from Derek, who was still sat on the sofa, not having been affected at all yet. He still wanted to join in, of course. He felt a natural gravitation towards his pack, especially tonight, and of course he knew that huddles were essential for pack bonding. But he wanted to keep his distance for now. He didn't want to let himself get moon-crazy and end up doing something he would regret later on.

Around midnight the pack had managed to calm themselves slightly, although they were still very much under the moon's influence. They were now playing Would You Rather, lying on the carpet in a tangle of limbs. Erica was hugging Boyd's leg, whose head was resting on Isaac's stomach. Scott had his feet wrapped around Isaac's calves, and his arms holding Allison close, whilst she played with Lydia's hair. Lydia was laying half on Jackson, half across Stiles. Derek was still sat on the sofa, although he was starting to feel a bit more 'fuzzy' inside. He supposed that the moon took longer to work on the Alpha. He was distracted from his thoughts by a hand pulling determinedly at his ankle. He looked down and saw Stiles, giving him big brown puppy dog eyes, trying once again to persuade him to join the pack pile. Derek sighed and resigned himself to his fate as he slid off the sofa and curled his body around Stiles, with one arm slung over Lydia's legs. The pack all sighed contentedly, feeling whole now that their Alpha had joined them.

"Would you rather," Scott began, "have no friends at all, or just be friends with Greenberg?" The lacrosse playing wolves howled with laughter, while Allison and Lydia both hit various members of the pack, telling them not to be so mean.

"Okay fine, would you rather lose the pack or lose Allison?" Lydia asked Scott. He stopped laughing abruptly and looked like he was about to cry. While the pack got into a heated discussion about the controversial question, Derek felt himself shiver. He began to feel a warmth spreading from his toes up to his ears, making him dizzy with affection for his pack. Just as the tingling reached his ears, he heard a distant, pained howl of a lonesome omega passing through the woods. Derek grimaced, and was even more grateful for having such a strong pack. Without even thinking about what he was doing, he shimmied closer to Stiles' back and tightened his arm around Lydia, letting out a quiet purr. Luckily for him, the pack were so involved in the pack-vs-Allison debate that nobody noticed Derek's sudden change of heart. Nobody except for Stiles, who froze when he felt Derek pressing closer, and the soft vibrations of his purr.

"Sorry," Derek whispered into his ear. "I think the moon has finally got to me."

Stiles nodded, and tried to control his heartbeat, so that the Alpha wouldn't know how nervous his closeness was making him. He concentrated hard on the escalating conversation, but his efforts were ruined when he felt Derek's warm breath on his neck. Then – what was that? Was Derek licking him?!

"Dude?!" Stiles whispered to Derek, who was indeed licking the younger boy's neck.

"Hmm?" Derek replied distractedly.  
"You're licking my freaking neck!"

"Oh!" He whispered, as if he was only just aware of what he was doing. "Maybe the moon makes me more... wolfy. Sorry, I can stop," he babbled, in a rush to explain himself.

"No, no, don't," Stiles said, surprising even himself. "It's nice."

Derek purred again, louder this time, and continued to lick Stiles' neck, holding him close with one strong arm wrapped around the boy's torso. Stiles didn't want to admit how good it felt, or how sensitive his neck was just there, but he didn't need to say it. Derek already knew from the way the boy's heart rate had spiked when he touched him.

The Alpha grinned to himself as the pack fell asleep one by one, still wrapped around each other in a pile. His teeth grazed lightly against Stiles' neck as the younger boy was drifting off. Stiles gave an involuntary squeak, and then mumbled, half in his sleep, "Mmm, love it when you do that..."

Derek grinned even wider, glad that nobody was awake to see his uncharacteristic happiness. As the full moon shone down on his sleeping pack he heard another noise. So soft even his heightened senses barely picked it up. But it was there for sure.  
"Derek..."

Stiles was mumbling in his sleep. The Alpha buried his face in Stiles' neck so that he wouldn't giggle out loud. Maybe the family moon wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
